The research team, led by Rabia Arslan together with Necmettin Ünal and Akın Yakan of Ankara University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, worked with 36 healthy male Lalahan lambs, all born as singletons during the same lambing season and weaned at about 90 days of age. The lambs were randomly divided into three groups and fed intensively until each group reached an average live weight of 35, 40, or 45 kilograms. Six lambs from each group, those closest to the group mean, were then selected for slaughter, giving the team 18 carcasses to dissect, weigh, and analyze joint by joint. Every animal received the same treatment before the experiment began: raised alongside their mothers under identical herd management, with ewes that had given birth at least twice, ensuring the lambs genuinely represented the Lalahan genotype.

The feeding regime was carefully standardized. Fattening started with 400 grams of concentrate per lamb per day plus 300 grams of alfalfa hay, after which the lambs were individually fed concentrate ad libitum with the same limited hay ration. Feeders were weighed morning and evening, leftovers collected and deducted, and body weights recorded every 14 days before feeding. Each lamb enjoyed 2 square meters of space, 50 centimeters of feeder length, and unlimited drinking water. From these meticulous measurements the researchers calculated the two numbers that matter most in fattening economics: daily weight gain and feed conversion rate, the kilograms of concentrate needed to produce one kilogram of body weight.

The growth numbers tell a story of steady, efficient performance. Average daily weight gains were 241.50, 243.33, and 235.45 grams in the 35, 40, and 45 kilogram groups respectively, figures that sit comfortably within the 230 to 265 gram range reported for intensively fattened Kıvırcık lambs, the breed from which Lalahan sheep largely descend. More impressive was the feed conversion. The Lalahan lambs needed just 3.590, 3.958, and 4.392 kilograms of concentrate per kilogram of gain in the three groups, substantially better than the 5.29 to 6.14 kilograms reported for Kıvırcık lambs in comparable intensive systems. In plain terms, these crossbred lambs turned feed into meat considerably more cheaply than one of their parent breeds, a trait with obvious economic value for producers operating on thin margins.

As expected, feed conversion worsened as the lambs grew heavier, because larger animals devote more of each meal to maintenance rather than growth. The jump from 3.590 to 4.392 kilograms of feed per kilogram of gain between the lightest and heaviest groups illustrates the classic diminishing returns of extended fattening. Yet the daily gain barely budged across the three groups, hovering around 240 grams regardless of target weight. That combination, flat growth rate but rising feed cost, is precisely why the question of when to stop fattening is so consequential, and why the carcass data that followed would prove decisive.

Slaughter characteristics were assessed both against pre-slaughter body weight and against empty-body weight, a refinement that accounts for the variable fullness of the digestive tract. Hot dressing percentages, the proportion of live weight that becomes a fresh carcass, were 46.22, 45.49, and 47.05 percent across the three groups, with cold dressing percentages of 45.26, 44.66, and 46.11 percent after 24 hours of chilling at 4 degrees Celsius. None of these differences reached statistical significance, though there was a slight upward trend with weight, likely reflecting greater muscle and fat deposition in heavier animals. The researchers also tracked how individual body components shifted with weight: feet and empty rumen proportions fell, while omental and mesenteric fat depots and testicle proportions rose, the latter a sign that the longer-fattened lambs were approaching puberty.

The carcass dissection delivered the study’s most consequential findings. Lean meat content was 61.82 percent in the 35 kilogram group and 61.04 percent in the 40 kilogram group, but dropped significantly to 57.53 percent at 45 kilograms. Fat told the mirror-image story: 13.57 and 14.05 percent in the two lighter groups, then a statistically significant leap to 19.46 percent in the heaviest lambs. Bone percentages stayed essentially constant at around 18 percent. The lean-to-fat ratio, a key index of carcass quality, was 4.56 and 4.35 in the 35 and 40 kilogram groups but collapsed to 2.98 at 45 kilograms. Notably, the lean percentages exceeded those reported for most Turkish native breeds, while the fat percentages were lower, an advantage the authors highlight as particularly important for modern consumers who increasingly prefer leaner carcasses.

Prime cuts shifted with weight as well. The hind leg, the most valuable joint, accounted for 31.57, 30.04, and 28.41 percent of the carcass in the three groups, a significant decline, while the loin fell from 8.41 to 7.19 percent. The back cut bucked the trend, rising from 13.39 to 14.72 percent. Meanwhile, the cross-sectional area of the longissimus dorsi muscle, the prized eye muscle running along the spine, grew steadily and significantly with slaughter weight, from 14.29 to 16.16 to 17.73 square centimeters, outperforming values reported for Kıvırcık lambs at comparable weights. Back fat depth also climbed, from 1.13 to 1.57 to 2.43 millimeters, though it remained generally lower than in other native breeds. The fact that muscle area expanded faster than fat thickness is, the authors argue, a genuine strength of the genotype.

Placing all the evidence side by side, the case for 40 kilograms becomes compelling. At that weight the lambs achieved their highest average daily gain, maintained a lean percentage above 61 percent, kept carcass fat near 14 percent, and avoided the steep feed conversion penalty that sets in beyond it. The 45 kilogram lambs delivered bigger eye muscles but paid for them with nearly a fifth of the carcass as fat and the worst feed efficiency of the trial. The 35 kilogram lambs were lean and efficient but left growth potential unrealized. The authors note that their recommendation aligns with international literature suggesting that around 38 to 42 kilograms represents the optimal balance between muscle development and fat deposition in medium-sized native and crossbred genotypes, even as European meat-type breeds are pushed to heavier weights.

Beyond the headline number, the study carries broader significance for Turkish agriculture, where sheep meat accounts for only 9.1 percent of red meat production despite growing demand for high-protein foods. The Lalahan genotype was bred for exactly this gap: an animal with good herding instinct, easy management, adequate fertility, and the hardiness to prosper on steppe pastures. Previous work had documented the breed’s reproductive performance, including estrus rates near 99 percent and twin births at just over 25 percent, but its meat traits had never been systematically measured. This first comprehensive assessment shows the Lalahan lamb matching or exceeding its Kıvırcık parentage in fattening performance, slaughter yield, and carcass composition, with a muscle-to-fat balance that suits contemporary market preferences. For a country seeking to raise its lamb output under challenging climatic conditions, a genotype that converts feed efficiently, deposits fat sparingly, and hits its peak value at a well-defined weight offers producers something rare: a clear, evidence-based target for profitability.

Subject of Research: Fattening performance, slaughter traits, and carcass characteristics of Lalahan-genotype lambs at different slaughter weights in Türkiye

Article Title: Meat production traits of Lalahan sheep: fattening, slaughter, and carcass characteristics of lambs

Article References: Arslan, R., Ünal, N., & Yakan, A. (2026). Meat production traits of Lalahan sheep: fattening, slaughter, and carcass characteristics of lambs. Archives Animal Breeding, 69(3), 431-439. https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-69-431-2026

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.5194/aab-69-431-2026

Keywords: Lalahan sheep, lamb meat production, slaughter weight, carcass characteristics, feed conversion rate, daily weight gain, Kıvırcık, Akkaraman, crossbreeding, Türkiye, steppe conditions, animal breeding

Cryptosporidium species are obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasites that infect the intestinal epithelium of a wide range of vertebrates, causing gastroenteritis and diarrhea that can be severe in young animals and dangerous, sometimes life-threatening, in immunocompromised people. Unlike many enteric pathogens, Cryptosporidium oocysts are remarkably resistant to environmental stress and to standard water-treatment disinfection, which makes even asymptomatic carriers relevant to public health. Because infected animals shed infectious oocysts in their feces without necessarily showing signs of disease, understanding which species inhabit which hosts is central to assessing transmission risk on farms and in watersheds.

The research team, led by Sümmani Çifci of Aksaray University together with colleagues at Erciyes University, focused on the Akkaraman breed, a hardy indigenous sheep breed that dominates the flocks of Central Anatolia. Between the provinces of Nevşehir, Sivas, and Kayseri, the investigators collected fresh fecal samples from 300 healthy Akkaraman sheep, one hundred animals per province, drawn randomly from a variety of small-scale farms. Restricting the survey to clinically healthy animals was a deliberate choice: it allowed the team to measure the burden of subclinical infections, the silent reservoir that conventional disease surveillance tends to miss.

In the laboratory, genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and screened for Cryptosporidium using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that amplifies parasite-specific DNA sequences to levels that can be detected even when oocyst numbers are low. Positive samples then underwent sequence analysis of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene, the standard genetic barcode for distinguishing Cryptosporidium species, whose oocysts are morphologically nearly identical under the microscope. The resulting sequences were compared against reference databases and used to build phylogenetic trees, placing each isolate within the parasite’s evolutionary framework.

The headline result was an overall prevalence of 6.0 percent, with 18 of the 300 sheep testing positive for Cryptosporidium. Sequence analysis resolved these infections into three species: Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium bovis each accounted for seven animals, corresponding to 2.3 percent of the flock sample, while Cryptosporidium xiaoi was found in four animals, or 1.3 percent. The team deposited the sequences in the GenBank database under accession numbers MZ027074 through MZ027078, making them available for future comparative studies worldwide.

The detection of C. bovis in sheep is the study’s most striking claim. As its name suggests, C. bovis is primarily a cattle parasite, typically associated with subclinical infections in post-weaned calves and adult bovines. Finding it in ovine hosts in Türkiye is, according to the authors, a first for the country and adds to a growing international literature showing that host boundaries among Cryptosporidium species are more permeable than once assumed. Such cross-species spillover matters because it hints at possible transmission between cattle and sheep sharing pasture, water sources, or farm infrastructure, and because it complicates the simple assumption that each livestock species carries its own characteristic parasite fauna.

The other two species found carry their own significance. C. parvum is the most clinically important Cryptosporidium in mammals and a major zoonotic agent, responsible for a large share of human cryptosporidiosis cases worldwide, including outbreaks linked to contaminated drinking water. Its presence in apparently healthy ewes and rams underscores that even symptom-free sheep can contribute oocysts to the environment. C. xiaoi, by contrast, is considered largely host-adapted to sheep and goats and is generally of lower zoonotic concern, though it has been documented in periparturient transmission from ewes to lambs. The mixture of zoonotic and host-adapted species within a single flock profile illustrates the epidemiological complexity of ovine cryptosporidiosis.

Statistical analysis of the survey data added an age dimension to the picture. Positivity rates differed significantly across age groups, with a p-value below 0.0001, indicating that the probability of detecting Cryptosporidium DNA was far from uniform among young and older animals. This pattern is consistent with the biology of the parasite: young lambs are typically more susceptible to active infection and higher oocyst shedding, while adults more often harbor transient or low-level infections. Notably, no significant difference emerged between male and female sheep, with a p-value of 0.548, suggesting that sex does not meaningfully shape infection risk in this population.

Phylogenetic analysis reinforced the coherence of the species identifications. The Anatolian isolates clustered within the same clades as reference sequences reported from different hosts and geographic regions, meaning that the Turkish parasites are genetically consistent with their counterparts elsewhere rather than representing divergent local lineages. This kind of global genetic continuity is exactly what allows molecular epidemiologists to trace potential transmission routes across farms, regions, and even countries, and it strengthens confidence that the species assignments were not artifacts of sequencing noise.

For the authors, the findings carry a clear practical message: Cryptosporidium infections in sheep deserve active control attention, not only because of their potential impact on lamb health and productivity but because of their public health relevance. Healthy sheep on small-scale farms, the study shows, can silently host both zoonotic C. parvum and the previously unrecorded bovine species C. bovis, contributing to environmental contamination that may reach humans through water, food, or direct contact. As molecular surveillance expands, the team suggests that the true diversity of Cryptosporidium circulating among Türkiye’s small ruminants is likely greater than microscopy-based surveys have revealed, and that continued genotyping will be essential for mapping and ultimately interrupting transmission at the human-animal interface.

Subject of Research: Molecular prevalence and species characterization of Cryptosporidium parasites in sheep in Central Anatolia, Türkiye

Article Title: Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in Sheep from Central Anatolia: First Report of Cryptosporidium bovis in Ovine Hosts in Türkiye

Article References: Çifci, S., Arslanhan, B. A., Önder, Z., & Düzlü, Ö. (2026). Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in Sheep from Central Anatolia: First Report of Cryptosporidium bovis in Ovine Hosts in Türkiye. Acta Parasitologica, 71(5), Article 231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-026-01418-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11686-026-01418-7

Keywords: Cryptosporidium, sheep, Akkaraman, Central Anatolia, Türkiye, Cryptosporidium bovis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium xiaoi, 18S rRNA, molecular epidemiology, zoonosis, prevalence